Category: Biomedical

A new video now available from the Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA group demonstrates how the Abaqus Knee Simulator application can accelerate the advanced design of knee implants using finite element (FE) analysis and 3D modeling. The video is hosted by Cheryl Liu, Ph.D. of Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA and Paul Rullkoetter, Ph.D. of OrthoAnalysts.

What is the Abaqus Knee Simulator?

The Abaqus Knee Simulator is a validated computational modeling tool for performing basic to advanced knee implant analyses and simulations. This tool offers five fast and easy-to-setup workflows which reduce your reliance on time-consuming trials and expensive lab equipment, while still meeting regulatory requirements. The video includes an overview of the five workflows, validation of the model, and a demonstration of the software tool.

The Benefits of the Abaqus Knee Simulator versus Physical Simulation

The Knee Simulator is an application that works with Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA software. The application includes five pre-validated workflows knee implant design engineers can use to test their designs without the time-consuming process of creating physical models. The five workflows include; Contact Mechanics, Implant Constraint, TibioFemoral Constraint, Basic TKR Loading, and Wear Simulator.

Dr. Chiu explains how the Contact Mechanics workflow can take up to four hours to run. In contrast, the creation of a physical model to conduct the same test could take four weeks and cost approximately $14,000.

About Abaqus

Today, product simulation is often being performed by engineering groups using niche simulation tools from different vendors to simulate various design attributes. The use of multiple vendor software products creates inefficiencies and increases costs. SIMULIA delivers a scalable suite of unified analysis products that allow all users, regardless of their simulation expertise or domain focus, to collaborate and seamlessly share simulation data and approved methods without loss of information fidelity.

Adaptive leaped into the human modeling segment of Life Sciences by co-sponsoring an Advanced Biomedical Modeling/Imaging workshop at Ohio State University on Thursday, Sept 8th. More than 20 attendees represented academia, researchers, engineers and biomedical experts. This event focused on the current efforts and growing interest in using patient-specific models in conjunction with simulation software.

Recent research suggests that Biomedical Engineers are in high demand. In fact, biomedical engineering is expected to be the fastest growing occupation, with growth projections of 72% between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taking a patient’s x-ray, MRI or CT scan and converting it into a model that can be used for simulation purposes is not a new concept, but the tools and techniques available have become significantly more accurate and powerful.

How did we get here?

Adaptive was one of the first among the 3DS resellers to work on the Abaqus Knee Simulator for testing and developing knee implant devices. We soon discovered how many applications would be useful for a wide range of medical applications.

Dassault Systèmes has made big strides in advancing biomedical technology with The Living Heart Project, developed by Dassault’s Brian Baillargeon and the Virtual Human Modeling Team. The Living Heart Project is an innovative human modeling tool, aka “digital twin”, enabling the medical and engineering communities the opportunity to meld together and “see” the human body in digital form. This type of human modeling is an avenue for those communities to predict how medical devices can interact with the human body, among other opportunities.

We are excited about what lies ahead. Here is a snapshot of the workshop last week:

During the workshop, attendees had an interactive experience with the entire process of “Imaging to Simulation”. This included a hands-on demo with scanned data of a heart using Simpleware (Synopsis) and then a deep dive with a workshop featuring a living heart model using Abaqus. Attendees said they could have spent an entire day on just this piece of the workshop! Our very own Cynde Murphy jumped in to demonstrate how to develop the heart model using Abaqus.

Josh Lloyd covered how their company is making significant progress on improving the results of eye surgeries by allowing surgeons to use a scan of their patient’s eye then virtually testing multiple surgical procedures. The eye is a highly complex structure. With so many variables at play, virtual simulation provides the only logical path towards improving the outcome of eye surgeries one patient at a time.

They are using Abaqus in OptoQuest’s development of Corneal and Refractive Surgery Simulation applications.

The presentation given by Mike Weisen Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Rio Grande Neurosciences focused on the brain and the use of electrical stimulation for curing a number of neurological disorders. The key to this (and the problem) is getting the electrical signals into the targeted portion of the brain.

He explained how a person’s gender, body type and even ethnicity play a part in how the electrical current propagates through the scalp, skull, etc. and most importantly, where it ends up.

One example he gave was an effort they went through to win a DARPA grant. The task was to get to a targeted portion of the brain. Their competitor placed electrical nodes only on the skull/temple areas.

Through the use of simulation they were able to determine the optimal location for the electrical nodes was on the temple and another on a specific spot on the shoulder. They were awarded the grant.

This was a fascinating look into how little we truly understand about the brain and how simulation technology is helping to unlock some of those mysteries.

Their technology is being used to develop medical devices, determine optimal surgical and rehabilitation techniques and even looking at a cellular level in regards to pharmaceuticals and biotech applications.

Endless Possibilities

The possibilities are endless in terms of where we can go applying simulation technology to the biomedical field.

If you have any questions about the workshop or the content here, please send us a note and we will connect you with the right people on our team.

A big thank you to Ohio State University for hosting this event, along with the Simpleware and Dassault Systèmes teams and all the speakers.

Here are two beating heart models that were created using Abaqus during the workshop:

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